by Paul Simister
on June 28, 2013
Crash Proof 2.0: How To Profit From The Economic Collapse by Peter D. Schiff
Book Review Rating – 4.5 Stars
Peter Schiff is an American economist and investment manager who believes in the Austrian economic theories and predicted the real estate crash that came close to ruining the world’s economic systems in September 2008.
But he expected the problem in America to be much worse than we’ve seen so far.
The format of Crash Proof 2.0 is interesting. You get the chance to read:
- His original thoughts that were published in 2006.
- His updated thoughts after the real estate crash that were written in 2009. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 27, 2013
I was thinking about creating my own video on USPs so I went to YouTube and the other video sharing websites and found an overwhelming number of existing videos to choose from.
I thought that you might appreciate some feedback on these videos about unique selling propositions.
USP Unique Selling Proposition, Value Proposition Definition by Dr Lisa Lang
This is an 8 minute long video by the main promoter of the Theory of Constraints version of the USP, the Mafia Offer.
Irritatingly it has a short advertisement at the start but you can skip it.
The purpose of this video is to explain the importance of having a USP and then the limitations of the “traditional approach”b to convince you that you really need a Mafia Offer based on the Theory of Constraints.
What is a USP (per video) – A marketing concept and short statement to differentiate your company or products or to explain your positioning in the marketplace. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 26, 2013
Your USP or unique selling proposition is not just a marketing slogan. It is a commitment that needs to be lived and breathed by all the members of your team.
Many people have a direct or indirect effect on how your business delivers its promise and uniqueness. If they don’t, they need to understand that their job is about reducing the costs of manufacture, delivery and service to a minimum.
by Paul Simister
on June 22, 2013
Must you have a USP or unique selling proposition to succeed in business and to win orders?
The answer really depends on the competitive situation your business has and how well informed your customers are.
Let me explain.
What Is A USP?
Your USP is a short statement or phrase that explains why customers should buy from you rather than your competition.
>>> What is a USP?
Interestingly, the place where it is effective is in the mind of your customers.
[continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 22, 2013
I am a big believer in using break even point analysis in helping a business to improve its financial performance.
In this article I will explain how a business can reduce the break even point so that it makes a profit at a lower level of sales value or sales volume.
It does not look at ways to increase the sales volume or value so that it moves from the bad side of the break even point to the good side.
You will find help on increasing sales in three other sections of my blog:
>>> Generating More Leads
>>> Improving Lead Conversion
>>> Selling More To Customers More Often
Do You Understand The Break Even Concept? [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 20, 2013
Your Irresistible Promise is a positioning statement – like a USP – that helps customers to understand why they should buy from you rather than from others.
Summarising Your Product, Service Or Business In A Few Words
These positioning statements are important for two reasons:
- To tell the outside world – and especially customers – what your business is all about.
.
- To tell your inside world and to keep you focused – your employees and suppliers need to have a clear understanding of what your business offers so that they can give you the maximum support and therefore, justify their value to you. It also keeps you clear on what your business offers that is special in a world where opportunity chasing can cause strategic drift.
Customers and prospective customers in your target market will have an opinion about you provided they have come into contact. Sometimes that opinion is fleeting – into their mind and rejected when they see your marketing and then forgotten. Other times, an impression stays in their mind, for good or bad.
It’s in your interests to manage that opinion – to make it both positive and memorable. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 20, 2013
Your Business Blueprint by Rich Schefren
Book Review 4.5 Stars
Your Business Blueprint is the first Founders Club report and pdf written by Rich Schefren. This is the master-plan for you to design your business.
Let me emphasise three of those words.
Design Your Business
While business owners are encouraged to create business plans,the thinking is often at a level that is too superficial. The plan is written to convince the bank manager to give you the loan or overdraft you want. It doesn’t dig deep into how you can create a business model to create the right business for you.
The right business for you is one that gives you the lifestyle you want in your private life.
Too often businesses evolve, step by step, one decision at a time.
[continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 17, 2013
Various people have claimed that the USP is dead but are they right or are they trying to gain attention for a similar concept?
In this blog article, I’m going to have a look at what they say.
The USP Spoiler
Part of the controversy come from the various definitions of the USP or unique selling proposition or the confusion between an effective value proposition that positions your business and persuades customers you are the most relevant buying choice and an advertising slogan like KFC’s meaningless “so good”.
R.I.P. – The Unique Selling Proposition is dead
http://cranberry.com/business/marketing/r-i-p-the-unique-selling-proposition-is-dead-0804 (link no longer available)
The definition
The widely held concept behind the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is that in a competitive marketplace, the best way to distinguish one’s product or service from the homogeneous pack it to define oneself with a single, unparralled trait that sums up in as few words as possible what makes you special.
The claim is made in the book, “The #1 Way to Increase Your Close Rate: What You Stand Against,” by business coach Michael R. Drew. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 15, 2013
I’ve designed my business to help business owners who are struggling.
That begs the question…
“What is a struggling business?”
It’s one that is performing at a level below the business owners realistic expectations and desires.
The business owner (and his or her family) is having to make sacrifices in the way they live their lives. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on June 14, 2013
Focusing on one benefit in your USP makes it easy for customers to understand and remember through repeated exposures to your marketing messages but is it enough?
Various guides to creating a USP (Unique Selling Proposition or Unique Selling Point) stress that you MUST focus on communicating one benefit that is different from that offered by competitors.
I don’t agree.
If only the real world was that simple.
I believe that effective differentiation and communication and perception of how one supplier is different from another is usually multi-dimensional.
I touched on this subject when I looked at what makes Amazon unique and special:
>>> Are Unique Selling Propositions And Unique Selling Points The Same?
It’s also a point that is emphasised well when you look at Customer Value Attribute Maps and how you can start thinking about creating your own differentiated value proposition.
>>> >>> The Stop Start More Less Process For Differentiation Of Products And Services
Did Fedex Concentrate On One Benefit In Their USP? [continue reading…]
